ZEELAND, MI—At 71 years old, Jason Wolters estimates that he's helped put out more than a thousand fires during his lifetime.
"I've just been blessed with good health that I've been able to do it this long," Wolters said. "I feel good about being able to help my friends and neighbors here in Zeeland."
Wolters will retire from the Zeeland Fire Department on June 30 after a lengthy career as a firefighter. He's worked for the department for nearly 50 years, but now he says he's ready for the next chapter.
"It's going to be a big adjustment," he said. "My wife and son have never known me not being a firefighter."
When he was 21 years old, Wolters was prompted by a friend to try out for the firefighter position. He began his training and immediately fell in love with the job, moving up the ranks to lieutenant within a few years. He was promoted to captain in 1995, and again to a safety officer's position two years ago.
In the city of Zeeland, most firefighters work part-time, with the only full-time employee being newly appointed fire chief Ross Tibbets. Aside from putting out fires, Wolters spent seven years in the U.S. National Guard and 42 years working for Herman Miller. Balancing his time between fighting fires and working his day job was often difficult, but to Wolters, it was always about more than just quenching a roaring blaze.
"That's just part of it," Wolters said. "We're helping people try to reconstruct their lives."
On Tuesday evening, Zeeland Fire Services held a retirement celebration at the Howard Miller Community Center. Zeeland Mayor Kevin Klynstra was present to honor Wolters, and Tibbets presented him with multiple awards recognizing his years of service.
"Fifty years is a long time to serve in this profession, and in my short time being here, I've had the honor and privilege of working with Jason in some capacity," Tibbets said.
A lifelong Zeeland resident, Wolters has seen the city change many times over in the decades since his youth.
"The city (used to be) completely dry," he said. "When I was growing up, you did nothing on Sunday and you went to church twice a day. I can remember even as a young boy growing up, downtown Zeeland was a hub of activity on Friday and Saturday nights. Main Street would just be filled with people."
Zeeland's population has grown substantially since Wolters was young, which means more responsibility for the rescue workers in the city. That translates to a need for more firefighters, a need that will be mostly filled as Wolters moves on from his time with the department.
"We're very fortunate that we have such a good group," he said, speaking of the upcoming class of firefighters entering the department's ranks. "A lot of departments are hurting for people, but we've got a full house."
Wolters is leaving behind big shoes to fill in his absence, but he said he's ready to let others take the reigns and begin serving the Zeeland community.
"I've made a lot of good friends over those years," he said. "But it's a young man's job, there's no doubt about it."
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